An obscure ZIM in Africa traded Down Under Message Board

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Gold/Mining/Energy : An obscure ZIM in Africa traded Down Under

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To: TobagoJack who started this subject	4/9/2003 6:11:52 AM
From: TobagoJack	of 867

Easter holiday bookings fall by 80pc as outbreak hits the travel industry hongkong.scmp.com Wednesday, April 9, 2003 CHOW CHUNG-YAN Outbound Easter holiday bookings have plunged by more than 80 per cent compared to last year, while the number of people travelling to Hong Kong is expected to halve due to the atypical pneumonia outbreak. Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung said outgoing bookings had plummeted by 80 to 90 per cent after some countries began taking precautionary measures against travellers from Hong Kong, such as requiring them to wear masks. Mr Tung said the number of visitors arriving in Hong Kong had already fallen by 50 per cent, and the Easter period was looking just as grim. He said 70 per cent of Hong Kong people who had booked foreign holidays had asked to postpone their trips, while there had been only a handful of new bookings since March 24. Mr Tung added: "For the inbound market, arrivals from the mainland have dropped by about 30 per cent and I think the worst is still to come. Many conventions have been cancelled and companies have called off business trips to Hong Kong. I fear things will become worse in the next few weeks." Mr Tung said that traditionally the mainland was the most important market for outbound tours at Easter because of the relatively short holiday period. But many people were now scared to go to the mainland for fear of catching Sars. Sammy Ting Siu-min, assistant general manager of Guangdong (HK) Tours, said the company's outbound bookings had fallen to about 30 per cent compared to last year. "Some countries like Thailand require Hong Kong tourists to wear face masks all the time. Tourists risk being fined or even sent to jail if they refuse to do so. Many people have cancelled trips to these countries because they don't want to be treated like that," said Mr Ting. Hong Kong Tourism Board chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said the board had prepared a global promotion campaign to be launched worldwide after the threat of the outbreak had passed. She said the board had also written to landlords asking them to cut commercial rents to help tour agents survive. Mr Tung said massive layoffs were unlikely at the moment. But he feared many tour agents would go out of business if the outbreak lasted much longer. "Many companies are struggling hard to stay afloat. We have asked staff to take days off. We will try to avoid sacking workers as far as possible. I think the important thing now is to look at how to contain the disease. We have to strengthen our co-operation with the Guangdong side," he said.

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